The Cloak of Gold. By John Hastings Turner. (Chapman and
Hall. 7s. lid. net.)—The Cloak of Gold is the romantic illusion under shelter of which we enter into marriage ; at first we feel warm and happy, but with the passage of years * Oenevra's Monev. By E. V. Lucas. London : Methuen and Co. [78. act.1 t Bewilderment By Evelyn Scott. London: Duckworth. Us. 6d. netd the cloak becomes threadbare, and at last we are left naked to the winds of despair and disillusion. The younger generation, Dlr. Turner thinks, to escape this tragedy, now frequently attempt to harden themselves beforehand, attempt to make their love self-sufficient and independent, in his own words, " as strong and unbending as two steel bars." But they, too, fail ; some mutual protection, some relaxation from the rigours of the world, some surrender is needed : no one is firm enough to go through life in his own strength. The problem is wittily stated, and the characters are well devised to bring the situation to poignancy. The moral almost over- weights the story, and it is disconcerting to have a dea ex machina, an ideal and unsubstantial woman, dragged in to clear away the troubles of two of the married couples by her omniscience and volubility. Otherwise it is an interesting, honest and serious novel.
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